Dave (film)

Dave is a 1993 American political comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman, written by Gary Ross, and starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver. Frank Langella, Kevin Dunn, Ving Rhames, and Ben Kingsley appear in supporting roles.

Plot[edit | edit source]

Dave Kovic runs a temporary employment agency in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., and has a side job impersonating President Bill Mitchell. He is requested by Secret Service agent Duane Stevensen to make an appearance as the President at a hotel. Dave assumes it's a matter of security, but it's really to cover up Mitchell's extramarital affair with a White House staffer.

Mitchell suffers a severe stroke during the rendezvous, leaving him in a coma. White House Chief of Staff Bob Alexander and Communications Director Alan Reed convince Dave to continue impersonating the President. Bob tells Dave that Vice President Gary Nance is mentally unbalanced, but in reality Bob wants to be president himself and has agenda of lies and corruption which would be ruined by Nance's honesty and good nature. Only Bob, Alan, the Secret Service, and the medical staff know of the switch. First Lady Ellen Mitchell leads a separate life, rarely seeing the President.

The public is notified that Mitchell has had a "minor circulatory problem of the head". With Dave established as President, Bob and Alan send Nance on a 12-nation goodwill tour of Africa and implicate him in a savings and loan fraud. Once Nance is forced to resign, Bob plans for Dave to nominate him as Vice President, whereupon Mitchell will have a more serious stroke and Bob will ascend to the Presidency.

Dave's enthusiasm revives Mitchell's popularity, which is noted by many media personalities playing themselves. Dave visits a homeless shelter with Ellen, who doesn't understand why he has taken a sudden interest. Bob forges Mitchell's veto of a funding bill that includes the shelter. When Dave is confronted about the veto by Ellen, he confronts Bob, who offhandedly tells him that if he can cut $650 million from the federal budget he can keep the shelter. Dave has his accountant friend Murray Blum help him rewrite the budget so that the project may be reinstated. To make sure that Bob doesn't interfere, Dave does it during a televised Cabinet meeting.

Suspecting that he's not really her husband, Ellen tricks Dave into revealing the truth. Dave and Duane show her Bill on life support in the White House basement. She and Dave decide to leave the White House. However, after a night out, they realize all the good they could still do and decide to return.

The next morning, Dave blackmails Bob into resigning by threatening to reveal the switch to the public, then announces a plan to find a job for every American who wants work. A few days later, Nance returns from Africa and confronts Dave about the savings and loan scandal, insisting they both know there is no merit to the allegations. Dave talks to Alan, who reveals the whole plan was Bob's idea. Meanwhile, Bob reveals Mitchell's involvement in the savings and loan scandal while pushing his own candidacy for the presidency. This puts Dave in a bad spot as he can't go into hiding.

That night, Nance tells Dave that whatever happens to them because of the scandal, he finds the jobs program a wonderful idea. After spending some time with the Vice President, Dave tells Ellen that Nance is a good man and he would make a great president. Realizing what Dave has planned, Ellen tells him that she doesn't want to lose him. The next day in a joint session of Congress, Dave admits to Mitchell's role in the scandal, but introduces evidence proving Bob was the mastermind and Nance is innocent. Bob realizes that Alan has betrayed him as Dave clears Nance of the charges. After apologizing to Nance and the country, Dave fakes a stroke and makes a switch with the real Mitchell in an ambulance en route to the hospital. Nance becomes Acting President under the terms of the 25th Amendment and is sworn in as President five months later when Mitchell dies. Bob and eight other members of the Mitchell Administration are indicted on 34 charges of law violations and obstruction of justice two days after Dave's jobs initiative passes.

Dave decides to run for city council and Ellen comes to the office to volunteer. As they embrace, Duane stands guard outside the office door.